Dance Lessons - Ava 10 March 2023

Alright, y’all! I am a month and a half into taking ballroom dance lessons for the waltz. Our producing team - Jake, Clarinda, and I have taken to meeting bi-weekly to keep each other updated on the progress of The Waltz. Jake (Dazey Phase Productions) feels confident we will somehow find the money this year, so in preparation for possible pre-production, I’ve started dance lessons with the incredible team over at Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Atlanta Midtown.

My instructor, Felix Rivera, is just the best. Kind, patient, firm, and really good at explaining the concepts and steps as well as helping me to get the dances ingrained.

So, this is the first of hopefully many behind the scenes (BTS) as our merry crew tackles making a queer independent romantic drama comedy.

For more information, please visit our website, www.thewaltzfilm.com

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FRED ASTAIRE DANCE STUDIOS in MIDTOWN ATLANTA

Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Atlanta Midtown “provides a warm and friendly environment in which we can offer personalized attention to each and every ballroom dance student. Our Atlanta Midtown studio, located in the historic King Plow Arts Center on the west side of Midtown serves Buckhead, Midtown, and Downtown ballroom dance patrons and students.

We offer a variety of studio events each month at both locations, such as our bi-monthly open house,weekly practice parties, and monthly soirées. We also offer weekly group lessons and private lessons at each location.”

For more info, and to take advantage of their $55 introductory offer, visit https://go.thewaltzfilm.com/FADSmidtown

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ABOUT THE FILM

LOGLINE

A young trans successful businesswoman is not having the same luck with dating men. When she starts a dance class to learn how to waltz and finds a new friend and course partner she doesn't want to get her hopes too high, but it is not easy for someone as romantic as she is.

Title: the Waltz

Length: Feature

Genre : Romantic Comedy/ Drama

Subgenre : LGBTQ

Estimated Budget : $750K to $1.5M

Pages: 91

Days of shooting: 15 to 25 day

If we were to have our money, we would plan to film Spring 2023 (March-May), picture lock by September to submit to Sundance (as Ava is a Sundance fellow and this film was developed with the assistance of one of their programs), and begin our festival journey in 2024. If we do miss this window, we may evaluate other festival release strategies. We would love to aim for a 2024 release to coincide with the 2024 election. The team of this film has a strong desire for it to have an impact, and to engage in public discussion about the human rights of trans, queer, and nonbinary persons in the United States and abroad.

#avadavis #spencermumford #nikkigarza #skyepassmore #thewaltzfeaturefilm #independentfilm #queerfilm #queercinema #transfilm #transcinema #transactress #queerromcom #lgbt #gay #lesbian #bisexual #transgender #transisbeautiful #transjoy #queerjoy #blackgirlmagic #loveyourself #letsdance #iwannadancewithsomebody #sway #waltz #rumba #foxtrot #tango

avadavis

Ava Davis, , also known as the Duchess of Grant Park, is a trans actress, producer and writer living in Atlanta, Georgia. She is also an advocate for increasing trans and queer representation, especially that of black and other minorities. She founded her production company, Studio Vosges, in 2019 with the expressed purpose of telling the stories of queer and trans (GSM) black, brown, and beige people.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature, with a focus in art history, film, and creative writing, from the University of Georgia, and has made Atlanta her home, along with her partner, two standard poodles and one bengal cat.

She has acted in, written and produced several short films, including Feast, The Decision and the upcoming short film, Duchess of Grant Park, about a woman who claims the Grant Park neighborhood of Atlanta as her duchy. The short film had a budget of approximately $20,000; $5,800 of which was successfully crowdfunded.

Ava Davis’ stage credits include The Laramie Project, It’s A Generational Thing, and Locked. In addition, she has performed with the One Minute Play Fest, including a special performance in collaboration with the Queens Theater in New York City to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pride. She also performs sketch comedy and collaborates with Critical Crop Top.

http://www.theavadavis.com